Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis has been named the interim head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens have named Martin St. Louis interim head coach.#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/L4K3X65tsS
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 9, 2022
After the team relieved Dominique Ducharme of his duties on Wednesday, the team said they would announce his replacement later in the day. The 46-year-old Laval native is that choice, for now.
It’s a bit of an out-of-the-box hire, with St. Louis having no professional coaching experience. His only NHL work being in Columbus as a special teams consultant to John Tortorella. St. Louis brings limited coaching experience, but could provide the team with instant credibility for a team full of players who are struggling.
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Montreal Canadiens fire Dominique Ducharme
“We are very happy to welcome Martin to the Canadiens organization,” said Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes. “Not only are we adding an excellent hockey man, but with Martin we are bringing in a proven winner and a man whose competitive qualities are recognized by all who have crossed his path.”
St. Louis had a storied NHL career scoring 391 goals and adding 642 assists for a total of 1033 points in 1134 games with three organizations. He won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2018.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, St. Louis is signed for the remainder of the season.
To this point, Martin St. Louis is signed for the rest of the season. Sounds like the plan is to see how this goes, then talk at the end of the year about the future
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 9, 2022
